ScotRail and Caledonian Sleeper strike confirmed during COP26 - BBC News

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Scotland's rail network will be hit by strikes during the UN climate summit in Glasgow, a union has confirmed.

The RMT said members who work for ScotRail and Caledonian Sleeper will stage industrial action during COP26 in an ongoing row over pay.

ScotRail staff will strike from 00:01 on Monday 1 November until 23:59 on Friday 12th November.

The summit, which is expected to draw thousands of people to Glasgow, runs from 31 October until 12 November.

Sleeper staff will strike on Sunday 31 October from 11:59 until 11:58 hours on Tuesday 2 November and again for 48 hours on Thursday 11 November from 11:59.

GMB cleansing workers in Glasgow and Unite's Stagecoach staff have also voted to strike during COP26.

A spokesman for ScotRail said the "highly damaging" strike action was "extremely disappointing" as it faced a serious financial crisis in the wake of the pandemic.

• Why are ScotRail workers striking during COP26?
• New pay offer in bid to halt ScotRail strikes

It is the latest stage in a long-running dispute over pay and conditions and proposed cuts to services at the rail operator, which wants to reduce the number of services across Scotland by 300 a day from next May.

Unions and management were due to meet on Tuesday afternoon, when a fresh offer was expected to be made to workers.

But on Thursday, RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said: "Both ScotRail and the Caledonian Sleeper have had adequate time to come up with a fair pay settlement for Scotland's rail workers in advance of COP26. Instead they have kicked the can down the road and left us with no option but to put this action on today.

"We know that these strikes will close rail services in Scotland but the blame for that lies with Abellio, SERCO [operator of Caledonian Sleeper] and the political leadership at Holyrood."

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ScotRail is currently run by Dutch firm Abellio - but will be taken over by a company owned and controlled by the Scottish government in March next year.

The move was announced by the government earlier this year after Abellio was stripped of its contract three years early amid concern over its performance.

'Extremely disappointing'

ScotRail has been in talks for several weeks with trade unions about pay and conditions. A formal written offer was made to four rail trade unions - Aslef, RMT, TSSA, and Unite the union.

The company said it had only survived the pandemic due to emergency taxpayer support of more than £400m in "the most serious financial crisis in our history".

A spokesman said: "It's extremely disappointing that the RMT have opted to continue with this highly damaging strike action, particularly when a pay offer, negotiated over several weeks, has been made to the trade unions.

"We're seeing customers gradually return to Scotland's Railway, but the scale of the financial situation ScotRail is facing is stark.

"To build a more sustainable and greener railway for the future and reduce the burden on the taxpayer, we need to change. All of us in the railway - management, staff, trade unions, suppliers, and government - need to work together to modernise the railway so that it is fit for the future."

World leaders

Transport Scotland said it welcomed constructive talks between all parties and that a "significant offer" has been made by employers since the RMT ballot opened.

A spokeswoman said: "We understand that the RMT will now ballot its membership again on the substance of this offer. We hope that RMT members and the other unions will agree and accept this offer, putting to an end existing and proposed industrial disputes and action.

"Rail workers have played their part in keeping the country moving through the pandemic and we are sure that they will see the importance of the moment and the role they can play in showing the best Scotland's Railway has to offer as we welcome world leaders from across the globe to COP26."

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